And So The Plot Thickens
by bibliotaku748
Summary: What will happen when the flock is sent to camp Half-Blood? Why is Percy having strange dreams about the school? What will happen when these two worlds collide? You must read to find out! Fax and Percibeth.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello minna! This is my second story which will be a Fax (A crossover but I'm not sure if it will work out. I'll let you know as I go along if I decide to change it.). Once again I'm winging this story too so please forgive me if my updates are hectic. This doesn't mean I'm not going to write New Beginnings. Au contrar it just means I need a new project since I have Christmas vacation coming up and I'll have some free time. So please enjoy the story and review!**

I heaved the box into the car. This was the 4th time we've moved in a year. _They_ were getting good. Too good if you asked me.

"Damn," I muttered under my breath when the contents spilled onto the seat. This was so tiring I just want to go to sleep already.

Why was I "moving" in the middle of the night during a freezing January night? Simple, they seemed to always be able to find us since we moved from Iowa, or was it Idaho? I could never remember those I- states. I yawned then shivered. I really needed a new jacket.

"You almost done?"

I turned around and gave a weak smile, or should I say grimace, to the boy I saw there. His hair was ruffled and his all black clothes were wrinkled. He had bags under his eyes but other that that there was no trace of exhaustion from him. His coal black eyes were bright and alert and his body was tensed up for a fight.

"Yeah I'm almost done. Can you go get the kids for me?" I asked.

He nodded sharply, "I'll drive first though. You need your sleep."

I opened my mouth to protest but he cut me off before I could even start. "Look I know your superman but even superman needs his rest."

Knowing that I would never win this fight I gave a shrug and turned back to the car.

He grabbed my arm and turned me back around to face him. Startled I looked into his eyes and saw an expression on his face I haven't seen before. "Fang?"

He opened his mouth then closed it again. He shook his head, "Forget it."

I frowned. Lately he's been doing that a lot. He'd pull me to the side about to tell me something and tell me to forget about it. But tonight was the first time he had and unreadable expression on his usual poker face.

"No tell me," I insisted .

He let go of my arm. "Just forget about it okay Max? Just, don't"

I was shocked. Fang never asked for favors. He could be dying in the middle of the road and he still wouldn't ask for a favor. I stared at his face for a few seconds and decided to leave it alone. He'd tell me when he was ready.

I nodded. "Just know that I'm here okay? Don't shut me out Fang. Were a team remember? We'll stick together through thick and thin."

For a few seconds it looked like he was going to say something until we heard something coming form above our heads. We looked up.

"Erasers," I said grimly. "Damn it how do they keep finding us?"

Fang said nothing except, "I'll go get the kids."

I nodded while keeping an eye on the enemy. "I'll keep them busy."

We locked eyes. Then Fang did something completely unexpected. He smiled a real smile and said, "When we survive this I'll tell you what I've been dying too after we kick some Eraser butt."

I flashed a grin. "Sounds good."

We jumped into action.

**Hmmmm. Pretty short but hopefully the chapters will be longer as the plot thickens. Tell me what you think in a Review! What does Fang want to say to Max? Why do Erasers keep finding them? Is it the tracker? To find out you have to read on!**


	2. Chapter 2

**MERRY (BELATED) CHRISTMAS MY AMAZING READERS! Welcome to the second installment of And So The Plot Thickens. Thanks to all who read, reviewed, put this on alerts, favorited, ect., and enjoy this new chapter.**

**Copyright: Don't own Maximum Ride or Percy Jackson and the Olympians**

**Disclaimer: This story is entirely mine.**

Man, don't these guys ever DIE? Seriously, once I kill one it's replaced with two more. I did a roundhouse kick to an Eraser's stomach and he doubled over falling through the air. Ooh, that must have hurt.

"Max!" I heard from beneath me.

I looked down and saw the Flock flying towards me. "Ugh." While I was distracted an Erasers took advantage and flew toward my head, its teeth bared. I barely blocked it redirected the assault into a tree. Tch, so stupid.

"You don't have to defeat them all just get away," I called.

"Where do we meet?" Nudge asked.

"The caves," I answered.

"Sounds good Max," Iggy said. "By the way since we're no longer hiding under the radar can me and Gazzy show you our newest creation?"

I inwardly groaned. By now I knew it's bad to let the Gasman and Iggy let lose one of their "creations." "Is it safe?" I asked.

"Max we're offended, have you ever known one of our experiments' to be safe?" Iggy retorted.

I gritted my teeth. "You know what I meant. Will it knock us out." I clarified.

I felt them hesitate. "Not if we get away in time."

I turned to look at them and saw more Erasers coming in the distance. "Flock you heard the Iggy. Up, up and away."

"Roger that," Total said.

Great. I forgot about Total, can't I ever get a break? "Total go up with Angel. Fang cover them and Nudge starts the chain. Iggy, how much time do you need?"

"We're ready when you are," Gazzy answered.

"Awesome. On 3, 1-" We shot up and as soon as we were about 17 feet away from the Erasers the brightest explosion you have ever seen went off killing even the oncoming Eraser's.

"Hehehe, dummies," I heard Angel mutter with a devious smile on her little angelic face. Yeah that isn't disturbing.

"Holy gas! What is that?" cried Gazzy. (a.n.: Hehehe, holy gas…..)

I looked up and gasped. In the distance there was, there's no better way to describe it but, _war_ _chariots_. There were dozens of them aimed at _us _and the person leading them, and this is where it gets really weird, was a dude with a scar on his face. Although he wasn't exceedingly tall or necessarily foreboding in the looks department he gave of an air of being 20 feet tall and as if he were viewing ants under his feet. Not only that but his small combat force seemed to be deathly afraid of him. He had sandy blond hair and an aloof expression on his face. But what set him apart from the others was his eyes. Oh his eyes seemed to be too old for a face and was filled with a frozen world of hate. During our travels I heard someone say that the eyes are the windows to the soul and if that's true then this guys soul seemed to be missing.

"Max," I heard someone say quietly next to me.

I looked over and saw Fang assessing the situation in front of us. "We can't take them all," he stated his eyes locked on the guy with the scar.

I exhaled a breath I didn't realize I was holding and nodded. "I know," I replied. Then a little louder for the rest of the flock to hear but not loud enough for the oncoming enemy could I said, "Dive bomb into the trees and try to shake as much as you can. You know where to meet."

I waited for the flock to signal their Ok's and we were off. As expected the small army all shot after us and as we flew into the safety of the trees I heard some chariots crash behind us. Heh not so smart then. I grinned and almost immediately it was wiped of my face. Crap, it was a trap. I looked over and saw that the rest of the flock realized this as well. I looked around trying to find an escape and relief bubbled over in the form of a laugh. They might have blocked the front and back but they left the sides open. I made one of my famous quick decisions and barked behind me, "To the right!"

We turned sharply and the chariots crashed into each other. But there was no time to celebrate because as soon as we flew another 15 feet in a white tree appeared and the world was turned around us. We turned round and round and I felt the fear in the air.

"Max!" Nudge whimpered, "Where are you? I'm scared!"

"Nudge, Nudge honey relax it'll be okay," I reassured her. As soon as I finished speaking the swirling stopped abruptly and we collapsed on the floor.

"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood," I heard a voice say above me and I looked up. "Now, um, who are you and why do have wings?"

**Okay yeah I know not the best ending but what can I saw the energy juices got lazy. Anyway please review in addition to putting me on alerts, favorites, etc. but I would really like more reviews. HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Sorry for the late update people, I completely forgot to post this chapter up. _Whoops! _I'll try to update soon so keep reading please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you all for the reviews, alerts, favorites, etc. **

**Disclaimer and Copyright:**

**I do not own Maximum Ride or Percy Jackson because if I did I'd give everyone in the world free cookies. Since I only own this story the cookies are mine! **

I jumped up and into fighting stance. Well I tried to anyway but since the world hates me I stumbled a little. Blue green eyes filled with worried and his brows knit together.

"Are you okay? Don't take this the wrong way, but you seem kind of unsteady on your feet. Maybe you should go the infirmary, they can check that out for you." He stepped toward me.

Wrong move. The Flock blocked him and stepped in front of me.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

He raised his eyebrows and said, "Fair enough. I guess it doesn't really matter who questions who first, plus, I think it would be better if I introduced myself first. Manners and all that. I'm Percy and your names are?"

I studied his face and decided we could take him if we needed to. Slowly I answered, "I'm Max and this is my family Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, and Total," I pointed to each of us. "Mind telling us where we are?"

Percy shook his head, "Nu-uh. It's my turn to ask a question. Why do you guys have wings?"

Before I answered I asked in my mind _Angel is it safe to tell him?_ I asked.

_I'm checking right now Max,_ she sent back.

A second later Percy complained, "Can you stay out of my head? It's uncomfortable for me and just plain rude."

The shock on Angel's face would have been comical considering that she was a mind reader and rarely ever surprised but I was too worried to laugh. Did he work for the School or Itex? And if he doesn't now what would happen if he does later and they find out that Angel can't read his mind without him knowing? Would she still be able to control it if it came to that? So how I did not want to know the answer. Thinking this made me realize that it didn't matter if I told him or not if he worked for the School, I mean he would eventually find out. I shrugged and belatedly answered his question, "We were genetically modified to be 2% bird 98% human," I ruffled my wings for effect. "100% avian American, nice to meet you."

For a second he just looked at us with a look of shock on his face until he nodded. "I don't know why I'm surprised, I mean weirder things have happened."

Um, okay. _That_ doesn't make me wonder what kind of life he lives. I mean it's not everyday that you meet 6 bird kids you know? "You said something about a camp before. What kind of camp? And how did we get here?"

He raised his brows, "You mean no one explained it to you?"

I sighed, exasperated, and snapped, "Yeah, sure, someone filled me in in the middle of getting attacked by Erasers and a freaky blond kid so that's why I'm here asking you about the things they _clearly_ informed me of."

"Your sarcasm is not appreciated," he said dryly.

"I don't really care if my sarcasm is appreciated or not!" I exclaimed. "I want to know where exactly are we and if I don't find out in the next 10 seconds someone _will_ get punched in the face and there's a high probability that it'll be you." What can I say? I'm cranky when I'm tired.

He lifted his hands up in a sigh of surrender. "Relax, I'm only trying to figure out how much you know so far. Apparently you know nothing."

I narrowed my eyes. I did NOT like the way that sounded.

"Okay so your in Camp Half-Blood for, lets just say, _gifted_ kids who need learn how to use their differences and survive in the outside world. This is a place where they learn how to fit in while having a fun summer with people who share the same differences as they do."

"Different," I repeated. "Different how exactly?"

He sifted to his weight. "Different in a sense that we aren't fully human."

I snorted, "That's it? Have you been listening? We aren't exactly fully human either."

He looked at me and grinned. "I've noticed. But what I meant was that all the campers are only half human."

"Heh. Very original I mean couldn't you guys come up with anything more creative than Camp _Half_-Blood?"

He shrugged. "It's not like I came up with the name. But it's not that half that matters it's other half is what we're referring to."

"And what half is that?" I asked, curious now.

"Well, do you now about Greek mythology?"

I thought about it for a second, searching through my mind to see if we learned about it during one of the times we actually picked up and book and studied.

"Are those the one's about Hercules and all that?" asked Gazzy.

Percy laughed, "Yeah it's those. Anyway we would be considered demigods, half human half god. Are parents are all mixed, some from the goddess Athena, some from Aphrodite, some from Hephaestus, and pretty much any others you can think of. I, for one am pretty much living proof of that." We started walking toward the camp and he started to tell us his story of how he is the son of Poseidon and the quests he needed to go on because of it.

While walking toward the lunch hall (apparently we got here just in time for dinner. Whoot! Food…) people kept giving us odd looks while greeting Percy. Note to self: next time tuck wings in before walking through a demigod camp filled with strangers.

Then all of the sudden everything changed, this girl with blond hair wearing a orange camp shirt stepped in front of Percy and asked, "Where have you been Seaweed-brain? You where supposed to meet me in front of my cabin 10 minutes ago?"

That voice, why did it sound so familiar?

He grinned sheepishly, "Sorry I lost track of time and then I meet them," he gestured to us, "and it kind of slipped my mind."

That's when the girl turned to us for the first time and I gasped. "_Annabeth_?"

**Sorry for the late update guys, I had writer's block in addition to being super busy so I pretty much was struggling in writing this chapter. Anyway please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello dutiful readers I want to say how much I love you guys and hope you'll forgive me for being do irresponsible. I was originally going to update this much sooner but I had state testing and finals and my laptop broke so all my files are currently lost to me. But I only have about three days left of school so I'll be able to update much sooner. Please update to encourage me to update, I have no idea what I would do without your reviews. Please check out my other stories, it would mean a lot!**

**Disclaimer and Copyright: **

**I don't own Maximum Ride or Percy Jackson, only this story plot, the OOC-ness of the characters, and the book Dark Secrets 1. **

"_Max?_" she said incredulously. We stared at each other, shocked.

"Max-?" Nudge said hesitantly. "Do you- do you, um-?"

"I think what she's _trying_ to ask is, unsuccessfully if you ask me, is if you know her," Total chimed in cheerily. "You know, just for clarification."

I shook my head, partially out of disbelief and partially to clear my head. "Um, yeah I do. I met her during-after-well-" I shook my head again.

They waited for me to finish. Luckily Annabeth took over for me.

She laughed. "I think what Max is trying to say, in her own unsuccessful way is that we meet a _really_ long time ago."

I grinned. "Right. So how's the whole saving your life thing going?" I joked.

I could see her trying not to laugh. Yep, still got the humor even after being chased by erasers and a _very_ creepy guy with a scar.

"Well I'm still alive so I _must_ be doing something right. How's the whole, finding your creator thing going?"

I grimaced, feeling the stares from my flock boring into my back. Well, if you can count Iggy's forever unseeing stare, one of the unfortunate production of genetic "modification" the white coats experimented on him.

"Ah well that ship has sailed a _looong_ time from the harbor. Now we're on an expedition to save the world," I said chipperly, "Doesn't sound _to_ hard."

Gazzy snorted. "Yeah being cashed my hybrid wolf kids and running from white coats for your whole life is something all kids go through since birth."

Percy frowned, "Wait, I'm lost. How do you guys know each other again?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You're always confused seaweed brain," she said, earning a glare from him. "We met when I was on the run with Talia," she answered.

Understanding colored his eyes but before he said anything possibly the weirdest thing I have ever seen flooded my vision.

The flock and I shared a look like, _you're seeing that to, right?_ We've seen some weird things during our lifetime, mutations formed in human children, clones, even talking dogs so I really don't know why this surprised us.

He was half horse half man. From the waist up he had the body of a man with curly brown hair and a neatly trimmed bread, from the waste down he had the body white horse. I searched my limited knowledge I acquired from spastic intervals of home schooling. If I remembered correctly the politically correct term was centaur.

"Percy, Annabeth ," he said pleasantly. "I see you bring guests. Do you intend to starve them to death?" he inquired.

Our stomachs growled audibly and Percy grinned crookedly. "Yeah, it was all part of my master plan Chiron. Torture them a bit with the smell of food." Then he seemed to notice one tiny detail. "Oh um," he cleared his throat. "Guys this is Chiron, Chiron this is Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, and Total their talking dog." He gestured to each of us individually when he said our names.

Chiron bowed slightly. "Nice to make you acquaintance. I have been expecting you."

I pulled back and glanced at Fang, sharing a moment of silent telepathy that went a little something like this.

_Me: raises eyebrows- Is it just me or did that statement give you the heeby jeeby's?_

_Him: looks at me- Yep. _

Angel must have been thinking something along the same lines, that or she was reading my mind again because she asked bluntly, "What's that supposed to mean?"

He smiled warmly. "Why don't we talk about it after breakfast?" He turned to Percy, "Why don't you show your guests to your table?" He nodded at Annabeth. "Since you seem well acquainted with them we will make an exemption in this case and you may dine with them as well."

She looked at him disbelieving and sputtered out a thanks.

He nodded briefly and turned back to us. "Join me in the Big House after you have something to eat. Percy or Annabeth can show you the way." With that he turned away.

Percy called after him. "You're not joining us?"

He turned briefly. "No I have some things to discuss," he explained shortly.

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. "With whom exactly?" Annabeth inquired suspiciously.

He smiled. "Well my dear I'm sure you know the answer to that question already." With that he turned away, walking towards wherever he was going to have his oh so important consultation. Maybe he needed to make an appointment at his nail salon. It must cost him a fortune judging by those hooves of his. I, personally, had no idea to what would be so important as to miss a meal but, you know, that's just me. Never knowing where your next meal will come from tends to do that to you.

Percy sighed and shared a look with Annabeth. I quirked an eyebrow, well _that_ was interesting. I intended to dig out information of what had happened in the years I haven't seen Annabeth, much like what the Flock would do to me once we were away from the eyes of strangers. I gowned inwardly, _that _wasconversation I could leave without.

I cleared my throat. "So should we, ah, proceed to the location that will serve as the place where we will consume a well-deserving feast?" What? I never said I was subtle.

They glanced at me with strange looks on their faces. Oops, sometimes I forget not everyone is used to my incredible tension-removing humor. Eh, they'll get used to it. Percy coughed, "Err, right, shall we continue with the tour?"

"As long as that tour leads to a kitchen," I responded.

He grinned. "Actually I have one better. The Dining Hall." As we headed to said Hall Annabeth step in next to me frowning.

"Why the frown-y face? The horse-guy gave you permission to eat with us you should bouncing off the moon!" I joked.

"It's on the moon," she corrected.

"What?" I said thrown off.

She cleared her throat. "The expression is 'you should be on the moon' not 'bouncing off the moon.'"

I waved my hand airily, "You say tomato I say potato."

In spite of herself she cracked a smile. "I'm not even going to bother correcting you."

"Good 'cause it wouldn't work. Habits are hard to break." Someone cleared their throat behind me and I turned around. "I know, I know I was just about to introduce you guys." I turned to Annabeth. "Annabeth meet the infamous Flock, Flock meet Annabeth."

Annabeth shot me a look. "What?" I said defensively. "I never said I was good at introductions."

She shook her head at me and turned back to the gang. "Hi, I'm Annabeth as Max has kindly introduced."

Iggy grinned and stepped up. "Hey, I'm Iggy the explosion king of the group. Sorry about Max, she's not one for introductions."

I rolled my eyes and walked up to Percy as the introductions continued. "Pretty cool camp you got here. Any specific reason you're here in the middle of winter?"

He grimaced slightly. "Let's just say the situation mandates for as much members to come here as much as they can."

I glanced at him and he met my gaze. "Winter Break," he explained.

"Ah. Wait, they really have that?" I asked.

He raised his eyebrows. "You don't go to school do you?"

"Now what gave you that idea?"

He laughed and I couldn't help but notice how his eyes crinkled at the edges. "Funny."

I sighed dramatically. "Well I do try my best," I said, earning a smirk from him.

Just then I was hit with smells of all different types of food. I felt my mouth water. "Yum, something smells _good_." I quickened my pace. "So how much farther?"

He stopped and looked up. "We're here."

I faltered in step and look up as well. The building was large and wooden, like all the other buildings I've seen here. It was open and I could here the voices of the teenagers inside. I felt the Flock stop behind me. Well one thing was for sure, we weren't in Kansas anymore.

**Whew! I think this was one of my longest chapters I have ever written. Anyway please review, favorite, alert and be the awesome people you are. Once again, please check out my other stories New Beginning (a Shugo Chara fanfic) and A New Cycle Begins (a co-authored Vampire Knight story with Bane Hiwatari, Aleka written by yours truly). Have a good summer all! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Do I suck? Yes. Do I apologize? Totally. Please forgive me all! I know I'm a complete loser. **

**Disclaimer and Copyright:**

**I do not own Maximum Ride or Percy Jackson. If I did I would be busy working on my next amazing book. I only on any new characters and this plot. On to the story!**

I stared at the twinkling stars above me and felt the breeze on my skin. After for so long it felt weird to be told that we were "safe" and no one wanted to ship us off to a scientific lab for testing. It felt nice not to be the only mutated freak in the premises and it felt even better to know that they weren't genetically altered against their will.

But somehow, even after all I ate, I couldn't sleep. Don't get me wrong, my body was exhausted but I was still running on kick-butt time. It's great for fights and escapes but suck-y to have when it's naptime.

Frustrated, I swung my legs out of the tree (Chiron offered a cabin, which we promptly refused, kindly of course, there's no sense in pissing off the horse guy) and jumped, spreading my wings. Letting the wind catch me I gave a gentle push upward and I was off.

To describe flying in the simplest form possible I would have to say it is a bit like dropping a feather from a great height. It looks beautiful, so peaceful and serene against everything in the world. Now times that feeling by 100, no 1000 more, and you'll have an inkling of understanding of how flying feels.

About an hour or so I began my descent down to the beach. I grazed over the water and landed gently on the sand. I turned around to gaze out at the shoreline. From behind me I heard someone walking towards me. A few feet away they stopped.

I sighed without turning around, "Well? Are you just going to stand there or are you going to give me the Spanish Inquisition?"

He said nothing, only continued to stare at me from behind.

I closed my eyes briefly and turned around to face him. "What are you doing here Fang?"

He walked closer to me, gazing at my wings behind me. He reached out and smoothed back a lose feather. "Your wings are beautiful," he said quietly. "Just like you."

My breath caught in my throat and I felt frozen.

For a moment we just stood there, his hand on my wing and me staring dumbly at him. Then the moment was lost and he dropped his hand. "How do you know them?"

I turned away from him. "It's a long story."

"I've got time."

I laughed quietly. "Yeah, I guess there isn't much to do at 3 'o clock in the morning." I took a deep breath. "Remember a few days after Jeb left? And how we all tried to find him thinking that he was kidnapped?"

I could feel him connecting the dots. "Did you even look for him?" he asked quietly.

I shook my head. "Of course I did, how can you even ask that? Sure, it was a waste of time but no, I did look for him. I ran into Annabeth and her friends at the same time and helped them out a bit. I wasn't even sure if she still remembered me."

There was a pause. "Helped them out in what sense?" That was Fang, always picking up on things I'd rather not explain.

"I just…. I just helped them out Fang. That's it okay? I don't want to talk about it." Bad memories, we meet again.

He was silent. "Fine. Do what you want." He started to walk away.

I whirled around and grabbed his arm. "No wait."

He stopped but didn't turn around.

"I'm sorry okay? I just don't want to talk about it," I looked down.

He didn't say anything for a minute. "I'm not leaving because I'm mad. I just thought you might want your space."

I blinked not expecting that. "Oh, um, t-thanks," I stuttered. Okay, so I was a bit thrown off that's why I stuttered. I'm usually very smooth with my English. "Can you, uh, stay here? I think we have a lot to talk about." Oh smooth transition of conversations Max. I grimaced, maybe I do need to go to school.

He turned. "Yeah, I'm guessing a centaur is subject of conversation," he said dryly.

I grinned, this is why everyone should have a Fang in their group. Entertaining _and_ loyal.

And that's how I ended up on the beach with Fang talking about absolutely nothing all night long.

**Okay so this was a poor attempt at a chapter on my part but I wanted to get one up after so long. Please, **_**please **_**review. This is the only way I actually decide to update. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello all! Let's get on with the story shall we?**

**Disclaimer/Copyright:**

**Bib. 748: Let's get this show on the road shall we?**

**Max: Wow, you're alive after all this time?**

**Bib. 748: Sarcasm not appreciated.**

**Fang: *smirks* **

**Bib. 748: Oh shush! **

**Percy: Technically he didn't say anything.**

**Bib. 748: =.= *turns to Annabeth* Can I slap him?**

**Annabeth: I can do that for you. **

**Percy: …. **

**Bib.748: Anyway! I do not own Maximum Ride or Percy Jackson only this story. Churros!**

I shut my eyes briefly before opening them again. I must be imagining things. I must be. There is no possible way that this whole camp decorated _itself_ in a matter of a few hours.

I heard someone walk up behind me and step up next to me. "Amazing isn't it?" Chiron muttered. "With what little power this camp is retaining the wood nymphs still manage to decorate for the holidays."

Garlands were strung throughout the camp, an array of poinsettias littered here and there decorated for each individual cabin, holiday ornaments and decorations were evident in just about every place you looked, and even the Big House was decorated top to bottom with an inflatable snowman in the front. I mentally counted the days in my head and frowned. There was no possible way that Christmas was here already. Sure, the flocks celebration was never anything big but at least we celebrated it.

Chiron stirred beside me, causing me to tense up involuntarily. "Ah Percy!" he called pleasantly, seeing the seaweed brain- as Annabeth liked to fondly call him- up ahead.

He turned around and grinned, jogging over to us. "Morning guys," he greeted once he got closer. "Merry Christmas!"

Chiron inclined his head, "Same to you Percy. I'll leave you two alone to find your friends, I have a very important conversation to have with Dionysus about trying to get the first years to sneak him some wine." With that he stomped his hoof(?) and turned away.

"Who's Dionysus? Isn't he that dude who invented grape juice or wine or something?" I quirked an eyebrow.

Percy laughed, his blue-green eyes crinkling at the corners. "That's him. He's actually a recovering alcoholic so if he asks you to buy him beer or something feel free to ignore him," he informed me, a smile still on his face.

I nodded distractedly, picking up the scent of bacon. Yum, bacon. Do you know how long it has been since I actually have had real bacon? Way too long that's for sure.

Apparently seeing my drool Percy turned slightly and gestured me to start walking. Needing no other encouragement I practically ran to the dining hall and ran to the first open seat at the table we ate at yesterday.

The rest of the flock was already eating when I hurdled myself in a chair and passed me some food. Since we weren't magical or anything we couldn't do that really cool thing half-bloods could do when they wanted to change there meal.

Percy walked over to his table and sat down in one of the open chairs.

"Max," Nudge called, "Why does Percy sit by himself? It's not like he is a leper."

I looked at her in surprise. "Where did you even learn that word?"

She rolled her eyes at me. "They were talking about it in _Seventeen_ magazine. Duh."

Oh yeah, I forgot, apparently _Seventeen _magazine is supposed to be every girls' bible. "Sorry Nudge, I don't speak tween."

She narrowed her eyes at me and I smiled sweetly in return.

Iggy snorted next to me and turned his blank gaze to Nudge. Man, even after all this time I still found that cool and creepy at the same time. Wasn't the point of being blind was not being able to see were someone is?

"It's actually pretty interesting," he began telling her, "apparently here each kid has to sit with their siblings from their God parent side. Percy doesn't have any siblings since his dad Poseidon wasn't supposed to have kids with any mortal in the first place."

"So,"- I could practically see the spark ignite in her eyes- "It's kind of a forbidden love?" She sighed dramatically, "That is _sooo_ romantic!"

I plopped a piece of pancake in my mouth. "You know, if I didn't know any better I would say that you would have to be the child of Aphrodite with all your dreams about love."

She rested her chin in her hands and sighed. "I wish," she said longingly, "I mean at least that way I would know at least on my parents."

I almost chocked on my pancake. "Nudge-"

Suddenly the hall got really quiet and no sound could be heard, not even a scrap of a fork on a plate. I glanced around looking for, I don't know, a huge spider or something that could make this many kids stop eating and shut up for a second. Even when we walked in yesterday it wasn't this quiet.

Percy practically shot out of his chair and strode over to the front of hall where a teenage guy in black was standing.

The guy kind of on the short side, looking around 5 feet 4 inches. He had dark brown hair and black, cold eyes set against Hispanic looking features.

"Nico," Percy blurted out, surprised. "I thought you were spending the holidays with Hades in the underworld."

Fang and I exchanged a look. I'm sorry but isn't Hades the god of the dead? How would he even be able to have kids?

The kid- Nico- uncrossed his arms and stuck them in his pants pockets, rocking back on his heals. "There's a bit of a problem down there at the moment," he said coolly. "Hades and Persephone are having one of their little spats so I thought it might be better that I leave before I die in the crossfire."

You could see everybody visibly relax.

"So there isn't actually anything _dangerous_ happening right?" Percy clarified.

Nico shrugged. "I actually happen to think that their fights can be _very _dangerous at times but no, nothing life threatening at the moment."

Percy blew out a breath, scattering his hair in the front. He smiled slightly, "Well, Merry Christmas then."

Everybody turned back to their food now reassured that they wouldn't die within the next few minutes and chowed down.

I saw Percy and that Nico kid talk lowly for a few minutes before Percy herded him over to our table.

Getting to the foot of the practically empty table he gestured to Nico. "Guys, I have someone I like you to meet. Nico meet Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, and Total their talking dog. Guys, this is Nico."

Nico looked up at us coldly. "You are sitting in my chair," he spat at me in greeting.

Well I guess he has no people skills.

**Ah, sorry sorry! I know its been a long, **_**long**_** time but between NaNoWrImO, editing, and Chemistry homework my life has been pretty hectic. I have winter vacation next week so I'll try to update at least one chapter during then. I know this is a sorry excuse for a chapter but hey, at least it's Christmas-y. As a present *hint hint* you should review because that would be super awesome. Happy Holidays all! **


	7. Chapter 7

**I know, I know, it's been **_**months**_**since I've last updated this story but I have legitimate excuses this time I swear.**

**However, I know you all are probably all slightly annoyed so I'll just get on with it. **

**Copyright and Disclaimer: Bibliotaku748 does not own Maximum Ride or Percy Jackson and the Olympians, I only own this story. **

I raise an eyebrow, feeling annoyance well up in my chest. "Excuse you but I'm pretty sure I don't see your name engraved on it." I place my hands on the table in front of me and focus my gaze on the kid, my expression merging into one of annoyance.

Nico curls his lip, scowling. "No, but this is _my_ table and, unless Hades had another kid I didn't know about, I'd recommend you'd get out before I summon an army of the dead to forcefully remove you." He smiles almost bitterly, his expression matching mine in iciness.

"And what's that? A bad attitude to match your bad sense of fashion?" Did that seriously just come out of my mouth? Man, I've been spending way too much time with Nudge. I mean, it's not like I had much jurisdiction with the fashion thing considering that I've been known to wear the same outfit for days when we were on the run but this kid is seriously killing my Christmas spirit.

What can I say? Dealing with erasers and guys in white coats doesn't exactly teach you to have patience with jerks.

If it's even possible the tension in the room reaches an all time high, strong enough to poke a plastic spork through.

Percy smiles a strained smile and puts a hand on Nico's shoulder. "Would you mind giving us a minute? We have some things to talk about."

Nico looks up at him with (gasp!) an almost affectionate expression. The type of expression you wear when looking up at your role model or something. Hmm, well that's interesting. Interesting enough to spike my interest on the foundation of their relationship.

I throw a piece of bacon in my mouth and munch, watching as Percy practically drags Nico by the collar of his shirt, wheeling him backwards and out of the room.

I don't care how much they talk it over, I am not giving up my chair for a snotty little boy.

"When did Nico get here?" Annabeth asks me quietly, silently appearing besides me.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "A couple of minutes ago or so. I wasn't really paying attention all that much."

Out of the corner of my vision I could see her giving me a _look_.

"What?" I say innocently. "He started it."

"He's also a kid Max," she snaps. "Can't you be the mature one for once?" She clenches her fists and glares down at me, posture tense.

I quirk an eyebrow at her in surprise. "Wow, who peed in your Cheerios this morning? Did Percy forget to pick you up from your cabin this morning or something?"

She flinches as if I just physically slapped her and turns away. "No," she mumbles, her cheeks flushing with slightly.

Whoops, it looks like I'm more perceptive than I thought. Dang my sarcastic tongue and my unfiltered mind.

Just kidding.

I grin in amusement, unused to seeing this cute side of this usually cool brainiac. "If you want you can go kick his ass outside. Violence always makes me feel better whenever I'm mad," I suggest helpfully.

Iggy snorts in agreement behind me. "Oh trust me, we know."

I turn around to glare at him and watch as he smiles brazenly back at me. Hmm, on second thought, maybe it isn't such a good idea if I decide to glare at a blind bird kid. Just a feeling, but I think the meaning is a bit lost on him. Just a feeling.

Leaving me with no chance to snap at Iggy for being a smart mouth Percy stumbles back in, careening about like a drunk man on Christmas morning, his face deathly pale.

Annabeth shoots off like a rocket, by his side in less than a second even though he was across the room. Just in time too- as she reaches his side he sways dangerously, falling face forward towards the floor and almost making a face plop before Annabeth manages to catch him, stumbling from his extra weight.

Without any hesitation the whole room is up and in action, obviously not as shocked as I am by this. My eyes involuntarily sweep around the table, looking for a certain pair of eyes that never fail to steady me.

As Fang's black eyes connect with my brown a moment of silent communication passes before we jump into the crowd mass, pushing our way to Percy.

We quickly infuse our skills in helping to get Percy to Chiron (how they think a centaur is supposed to help is beyond my level of comprehension) and, before I realize it, Percy is swept away behind closed doors and we are left to wait outside.

I slump down heavily on the bench positioned against a wall and rub my eyes tiredly. Seeing Annabeth's frightened eyes and the eerily familiar scene of Percy being led away to somewhere we couldn't reach were opening old memories I'd rather not relive.

I press the heel of my hands deeper into my eyes and try to push away the image of Fang being pushed into the ICU. And, as a sharp pain hits my chest I flinch, not expecting the sudden burst of emotion. Well, if that's not a hint to pull out of memory lane I don't know what it.

I pull myself out of my thoughts and stand up abruptly, walking over to where Annabeth was staring stonily ahead and leaning against the wall besides her.

I take a deep breath and search for words, trying to think of anything that could make her feel better. And we all know how I suck at giving advice. I personally blame it on being part bird.

"He'll be okay," I begin awkwardly. "Didn't he fight some big evil dude before? I heard some of the campers talking about how kick ass he was. I mean, he seems strong enough to wake up and all that. Honestly, I never pegged him as the type to faint. It must've been something really bad that-" I cut myself off and wince. Ah, I was definitely not helping. In fact, I'm pretty sure I am making things worse. "What I mean is," I continue hurriedly. "He's not the type to pass out and stay in a coma for the rest of his life. I'm pretty sure he'll just wake up all confused and crap." I finish lamely. Yep, I really needed to work on my sympathy speeches.

Annabeth moves her head slightly in my direction and smiles faintly. "You're still as bad at giving advice as ever Max." She shakes her head in amusement.

I shrug and hold my hands up in a _hey-well-what-can-you-do? _type of thing. "Well it's the thought that counts right?" I smile slyly and see Fang roll his eyes out of the corner of my eye.

She finally turns to look at me squarely and her expression was clearly one of annoyance. What the heck? I was not expecting that.

"Oh don't worry," she chuckles darkly. "I know he'll be fine. I just more angry at the fact that he practically scared me to death. _And_ he _fell _on _top _of me. Even if he's a seaweed brain he should know better than that."

We all stare at her blankly before we collapse into a fit of laughter.

It felt good to have her back.

After waiting for what seemed to be an eternity Chiron opens the door and gives up an update. "Well," he says pleasantly with a tinge of something unidentifiable in his voice. "From what I've seen he seems perfectly fine, just a little confused. He's awake now so you can all go in."

Without needing anymore prodding we swerve around him and crowd into the rather large "patient" room.

He looks up in surprise, sitting up in the bed. "Hey guys," he says in surprise. "What's up?"

Annabeth reaches his side first and I motion for the flock to stick to the walls, giving them a moment of privacy.

I politely keep my mind occupied and ignore their whispered voices, glancing around the room without really looking at it. After a smack in the head from Annabeth and an "OW!" from Percy I take that as the go ahead to approach, the flock following close behind.

After we get comfortable, Percy clears his throat to get our attention.

I, being the completely subtle person I am, raise an eyebrow in question and motion for him to continue. See? I'm not a complete brute.

He grins awkwardly and runs a hand through his shaggy brown hair. "Um, I know this sounds really weird but I have a question for you guys." His eyes sweep around, looking at us all individually.

Gazzy turns to him seriously. "Yes, seaweed brain?" he responds, adapting into Annabeth's voice.

They jolt in surprise, turning to look at him in shock, the first time listening to Gazzy's little "gift."

We laugh at their expression- well, excluding Fang, he just smirks slightly.

After the initial shock wears off Annabeth gets a familiar alert expression on her face. "Interesting," she mutters. "Are there any other cool things you guys can do?"

Angel glows at the formation of her words and gives her a quick rundown of our each of our special little talents, talking excitedly in her little girl voice.

Annabeth seems interested in these knew found revelations while Percy glows like a little boy Christmas morning.

"You know, if I didn't know any better I would say that Gazzy and Iggy where the sons of Hephaestus. Sorry Nudge, I could've sworn you'd be the daughter of Aphrodite but with your talent with technology you could be in the same house as the Gas Man and Iggy," he teases, laughing good naturedly at her horrified expression, no doubt imagining that possibility.

We talk a bit longer before Percy steers back to his question. "As much as I would love to continue this conversation," he digresses, his expression becoming serious. "This is really important."

I nod at him to continue and cross my arms over my chest. "Shoot," I allow.

He clears his throat and around at us before settling his unnerving electric blue-green eyes on me. "I know this might sound crazy but I have to ask. Have you heard about a place called the School?"

**Dun, dun, dun! A bit of a cliffhanger if I do say so myself. Anywho, please review, alert, and favorite. You guys make my day. **


	8. Chapter 8

_We talk a bit longer before Percy steers back to his question. "As much as I would love to continue this conversation," he digresses, his expression becoming serious. "This is really important."_

_I nod at him to continue and cross my arms over my chest. "Shoot," I allow._

_He clears his throat and around at us before settling his unnerving electric blue-green eyes on me. "I know this might sound crazy but I have to ask. Have you heard about a place called the School?"_

_I frown. "Yeah, it's a place where people go to learn right? But anyway, did you know that Bibliotaku748 does not own Percy Jackson or Maximum Ride? She only owns this story." _

* * *

Complete silence, the tension unexpected like a match suddenly lit in midst of darkness.

I feel myself straighten and look him directly in the eye, mindful of the flock surrounding me, gazing at him with the same wariness and surprise I had. While he could've just offhandedly referenced you know, an actual _school_, I highly doubt that. Taking in the obvious capitalization obvious in his tone and his passive expression at our silence I'm pretty sure we were all on the same page. Just a hunch.

Percy eyes are clear, unsuspicious, and I stare evenly at him for a few seconds, taking a mental note of an unfamiliar emotion in the back of his eyes.

"Why?" I respond guardedly, the word hesitant on my tongue.

He blinks and looks away uncomfortably. "I, uh," he clears his throat. "Nico was telling me something about it," he finishes lamely, obviously hiding something.

Under normal circumstances I would prod him for the truth but, being that his answer was obviously not one I was expecting, I get thrown off for a moment.

I quirk an eyebrow. "Nico?" I repeat. "How does he know anything about the School?"

He smiles faintly. "Well he does come out of the Underworld occasionally," he jokes in attempt to break the tension.

"So what did he say?" Nudge blurts out, quickly covering her mouth afterwards to control her tendency to babble.

He glances at her for a second before sliding his gaze towards Annabeth, studying her with hesitancy. "It seems one of his scouts ran into Luke in Arizona and he picked up some new backup that the scout didn't recognize. Nico did some snooping and found out the backup was coming out from a place called the School." He stops here, taking in Annabeth's blank expression, taking it as an indication to proceed with caution. "I don't know what deal they worked out but Kronos managed to convince them to help him. From his last sighting it seems that the School is helping him build an army of things we've never seen before." He stops here, finally tearing his gaze away from Annabel to look at me.

I purse my lips, doing my best to process this new information. "Two things," I begin slowly, holding up a finger. "First off, what makes you think that we know anything about this place? Just because we're mutants doesn't mean we know anything about the School. For all you know we could've fell into a vat of chemicals and _boom! _Half-bird kid a la rye." I cross my arms over my chest and stare at him expectantly. So, yeah, okay, we actually _did _happen to come from the School and not from a vat of chemicals but it was pretty presumptuous for him to automatically assume that we knew what he was talking about.

He blinks in surprise, probably not expecting my resistance to give up information. However, he quickly recovers. "Am I wrong?" he questions curiously, raising an eyebrow.

I pause for a second. "No," I say slowly. "You aren't."

Percy smiles slightly in bemusement before it is abruptly wiped from his face. "Look, I know you guys don't exactly feel like you belong here," -that's an understatement- "But you all know more about the School than the rest of us do. Do you have any ideas of why they would want to join up with L-Kronos? Or have any ideas of how this army can be fought? I mean," he grimaces. "Our world isn't exactly... strong at the moment. Kronos' influence has been getting stronger and more and more demigods have been switching over to his side. It's unsafe for any demigod to be out in the normal world unless they absolutely have too. However, even though we have as many demigods as we can at the camp at all times, our borders are straining and we're sinking fast." His face scrunches up as if talking about this caused him physical pain. And, in a way, I guess it did. By the way people talked about this place it was obviously like a second home to them, a home that was about to be taken away by a guy with a superiority complex.

"Well, we'll obviously stay to help," Gazzy responds blatantly. "It's not like we want to leave anyway, I mean, this place is awesome! Free food, a place to sleep, a whole cabin filled with things that can be used to play with." Iggy and him exchange excited looks, probably concocting new tricks that they can perform now that they had as many supplies they needed.

Nudge lights up at the prospect of staying, even if it meant getting involved in someone else's problem, and my heart pangs uncomfortably. "Yeah," she beams, "Max is always doing things to help people. She's, like, some type of entrepreneur or something. Like this one time she-"

Angel nudges her and whispers something in her ear, promptly stopping her tirade before she can continue. Then, with a visibly unsure expression, she turns to me. "We can stay right? Max?"

The flock stop their side conversations abruptly, turning to focus on me expectantly.

I look at them all individually, realization hitting me once again that I was the leader. Do you ever get those feelings? You know, that feeling when you know your family will listen to you even though they don't want to with no arguments? If you have you realize how scary it feels.

And this is what had me torn. The comprehension that, no matter how much I really didn't want to get involved in another life and death problem, I wouldn't be able to handle their disappointed faces one more time. They really didn't deserve any more shut downs.

My eyes linger on Fang the longest, the last person I study. His normally expressionless face easily reads the confusion in my eyes and clenches his jaw slightly, looking down at the kids before looking back up at me.

It's all I need.

I open my mouth before closing it again. "Y-yeah, we can stay," I mutter, glancing back at Fang for a split second before I look back at the rest of the Flock.

They erupt in cheers, obviously excited to be able to stay in this place for longer than a day, making me laugh with their contagious happiness.

With that settled we head out of the building with Percy in tow since, you know, there isn't anything _physically _wrong with him, the conversation flitting through random topics that get a few laughs out of everybody.

That is, except for me. I just couldn't find my ability to concentrate as every few seconds my mind would drift back to what I just agreed to.

I know who Kronos is- I'm not completely uneducated you know- but my mind is still trying to understand how Luke fit into it all.

I remember Luke. He was an okay kid when I first met him, crazy suspicious and always optimistic. I think the only reason I remembered him so clearly was how protective he was with Annabeth; like he was her big brother or something.

Now, I'm not saying that it was impossible that he could've changed but, to betray Annabeth? Something big must've definitely happened.

And, seeing the way Percy was hesitant to mention him in front of her, it must've been something incredibly _private_, which is one of the reasons I didn't ask when everyone was around.

As if she sensed my thoughts Annabeth breaks away from the group and slows down so she was walking with me.

"What's on your mind Max?" she asks curiously.

I shrug. "Nothing," I lie, keeping my eyes straight ahead.

"Hmmm," she hums, obviously not believing my lie. "Does it have to do with the second question you never asked?" she smirks, knowing that she hit the nail on the head. Stupid brainiac.

I grin at her slyly, looking at her sideways. "Why don't you just go back to bickering with Percy? He looks like he misses you." And it's true. He keeps flickering his eyes over to look at her. Very cute.

She blushes deeply. "Like you should be talking," she quips. "What about you and Fang?"

I keep my expression carefully neutral. "I don't know what you're talking about," I say innocently.

She smiles smugly. "Sure you don't."

We walk in silence for a few moments before she surprises me by bringing up something that I never expected her to bring up.

"You can ask about Luke you know," she says quietly, almost offhandedly.

I look over at her, my eyebrows raised in silent question. Sure, I was curious but I wasn't going to just blurt it out.

She intercepts my look with a sigh before looking back at Percy. "It's okay, what happened, happened. You can't change the past," she adds almost wistfully.

Percy looks over at this exact moment and locks eyes with Annabel, his face unreadable as she sends him a silent message. He nods slightly, turning away.

"Hey guys," I hear him say from here, "How about the tour? You haven't seen the whole camp yet right?" With this he leads the Flock away, giving Annabeth and I some privacy.

We continue walking in silence until we come to a large, empty opening, taking a seat on some rocks that are placed in an almost hidden corner.

Her brow furrows, obviously thinking about the best way to phrase what she was about to say.

I guess," she begins slowly, "things all started a few months after we got to camp..."

* * *

**Right on time! So how did you like it? Please comment, alert and favorite. You guys make my day. **

**P.S. I am looking for a BETA reader since, let's face it, I never really proofread and that just makes it harder on you guys. So, if anyone is interested just send me a PM or a review talking about your interest. I would greatly appreciate if this person could also BETA my other story _New Beginning. _**

**Happy Readings!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Copyright and Discalaimer: Bibliotaku748 does not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Maximum Ride. She only owns this story. **

* * *

"It all started a few months after we arrived at camp. I was already sorted by this time and was already seeing less of Luke than I was used too. But, even though we weren't together as often as we were when we were coming here, we still were close. I figured that it was all okay, that we'd find a way around everything. But, I guess I was wrong.

"He later admitted that he felt like he got the short end of the stick. Even though Hermes claimed him he never felt a _real _connection to him. I guess it was because so many people were in and out of his cabin and he just felt insignificant. But, you wouldn't believe how happy he was once Hermes finally sent him a quest. He was _so _excited to finally have something to do and I had hoped that once he came back things would be better." Annabeth laughs scornfully, shaking her head like she couldn't believe her own nativity. "He played all of us, made a fool out of his own _family_." Her expression tightens, giving her a pinched expression. The catch in her voice also made it obvious that she was having a hard time trying to keep her tone neutral.

"In any case," she forces out. "After Thalia did… what she did to save us, it was like Luke was pushed over the edge. Oh sure, he mourned with me but after a while he began distancing himself. He was no longer the same Luke who had guided me to camp. He lost what little empathy he still retained." She closes her eyes and sighs through her nose, old wounds reopening with the mention of the past.

I stare out at the filed in front of us, the wheels in my head still processing this new information.

I already knew what happened to Thalia, compliments of a very intimidated camper who didn't know how to keep his mouth shut concerning things that are better left unsaid, but hearing Annabeth referencing it just made it more real.

Sympathy washes over me but I keep quiet. It's not exactly like I can say, "oh hey, sorry about your friend turning into a tree trying to save your life." Not to mention she had probably received more sympathy than she cared for.

But, underneath that was another feeling, one that I was more familiar with, and it was all aimed at Luke. I mean, can you say asshole any louder? Annabeth _looked up to him _and he just threw it back in her face. When she needed him most he just bailed when things got tough, choosing to wallow in his own self pity. He should meet Jeb, the two of them could converse about their cowardliness over tea or something.

I purse my lips. I really hate to do this but I needed to ask. "So, where is Luke now in all this?" I sneak a glance at her and gauge her reaction.

She blinks and swings her stormy gaze towards me in surprise. "You didn't notice yet?" she asks in astonishment.

I gaze back at her levelly. "Notice what?" I blurt out, feeling completely out of the loop.

She narrows her eyes at me and assesses me slowly. "Didn't you tell us that you were chased by a tall blond haired kid?"

I nod slowly, having a sneaking suspicion to wear she was going with this but not wanting to believe it.

Annabeth views me almost pityingly. "Max," she begins carefully. "Did this guy have a scar and golden eyes?" she asks.

I run my tongue over my teeth. "Yeah, I think he did," I pause. "Where are you going with this Annabeth?" I can't help but ask suspiciously.

She turns away and shifts uncomfortably. "Max, do you know the back story of why Kronos is the way he is?" At my flat expression she switches into brainiac mode. "To make a long story short, Kronos was the king of the Titans and is the father of the major gods on Mount Olympus. When Kronos was still in power he was warned that one of his children would overthrow him, causing him to swallow all of his kids. But his wife, Rhea, hid his last child and let Kronos swallow a stone instead. That kid was Zeus.

"When Zeus grew up, he snuck into his father's palace and poisoned Kronos, releasing the major gods. They eventually defeated Kronos and took over reign.

"The only problem was that they never killed Kronos, they only dismembered him. Now, Kronos was obviously angry at being 'betrayed' and bided his time until he could find someone who opposed the gods. That's were Luke came in. He was the _exact _person Kronos was looking for. Angry, naïve, easily manipulated and harbored a grudge against the gods. He convinced Luke to steal Zeus' lightning bolt and try to bring it back. Luke eventually got caught but it was too late- Kronos already brainwashed him to a point where Luke just became a vessel to him. That kid you ran into before you were sent here? _That _is was what happened to Luke."

I gape at her openly, my brain completely zip lining. I knew Luke had something to do with Kronos but I just figured he was one of his lackeys or something to that nature. I never expected Luke to actually _be _Kronos. Or… for Kronos to be him depending on who's perceptive you look at. At least now I understand how I didn't recognize Luke. After all his evil mutations he was completely unrecognizable to the Luke I once met.

"Annabeth-"

The word barely out of my mouth an alarm starts to ring, the sound nerve grating and _loud_. Oh, that's just great. I finally think of something to say and am interrupted by a freaking bell that sounds suspiciously similar to a fire alarm I heard one in Arizona.

A hand clamps down on my arm and tightens, nails digging into my skin. I look down at the hand in mild disbelief, shifting my eyes to the owner's face.

Annabeth looks visibly pale, her lips thinning in determination while her eyes glimmer in anger and… fear?

"They're trying to break through the border," she mutters, glancing uneasily around her, pulling me up to my feet with her. "Come on, we need to get closer to the camp."

Without saying anything more she drags me in the direction of the cabins, forcing me to half jog next to her.

The closer we get to civilization the more I notice as everyone around us head towards the Dining Hall, leaving us to be the only one heading in the opposite direction. Nevertheless, no one stops us as we fight against the masses, pushing our way to the cabins and over to where the gang said they'd be.

"Max! Annabeth! Over here!"

We stop in our tracks and turn to the direction the voice called us from only to see the Flock and Percy weaving their way over to us.

Annabeth lets out a breath and we mimic their movements, meeting them half way.

"Percy," Annabeth greets grimly. "Is this a drill or…?" She trickles off suggestively, pressing her hands tightly to her sides.

He shakes his head. "I don't know," he admits, exchanging looks of unease with her.

The Flock and I exchange confused looks, not completely sure what the bell meant but knowing it must mean something very, very bad.

"Attention campers! False alarm, I repeat it was a false alarm! Please, return to your activities. The barriers are still holding," a voice booms from out of nowhere.

Some campers that were heading past us and stopped to listen looks over at us gravely before turning back to whatever they were doing before, other campers following in their example, completely unaffected by the alarms that were still going off.

"Hold on," Percy frowns. "Something isn't right. If it's a false alarm then why is the bell still going off-?"

_Boom! _An explosion from behind us sounds and I'm thrown to the ground, rocks digging into my face. Other explosions quickly follow and I instinctively cover me head with my arms to protect myself from flying debris.

Chaos reigns and, over the terrified screeches of campers that weren't as lucky to receive the blunt end of the explosion, I hear the voice over the loud speaker yelling- "We were tricked! It's a set up! The enemy has infiltrated the camp-!"

* * *

**Hey guys! Yeah, sorry for this being a late update. My laptop committed suicide so I'm working off my sister's computer. I.e. it's a bit hard to update on time. **

**Anyway, thank you to all who read, reviewed, alerted and put this on their favorites. You guys are seriously made of awesome. Like always, please review and let me know what you think about this chapter. All feedback is appreciated. **


End file.
